survival8: Installing Draw.IO on Linux Ubuntu Laptop

Friday, December 26, 2025

Installing Draw.IO on Linux Ubuntu Laptop

How do I install this software on my linux machine:

It is available in following architectures:
Linux - deb, AppImage or rpm

You can install draw.io (diagrams.net desktop) on Linux in three common ways. Pick the one that best fits your distro and preference.

✅ Option 1: DEB package (Best for Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Debian)

Recommended if you want system integration and automatic updates.

Download the .deb file from the release page.
Open a terminal in the download folder and run:
```
bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ./drawio-amd64-29.0.3.deb
```
Replace the filename if the version differs.
Launch from the app menu or run:
```
bash
drawio
```

✅ Option 2: AppImage (Works on almost all distros)

No installation needed; great for portability.

Download the .AppImage file.

Make it executable:

bash
chmod +x drawio-29.0.3-x86_64.AppImage

Run it:

bash
./drawio-29.0.3-x86_64.AppImage

Optional: Move it to /opt and create a desktop shortcut if you want.

✅ Option 3: RPM package (Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE)

Use this if you’re on an RPM-based distro.

bash
sudo dnf install drawio-29.0.3.x86_64.rpm

or on openSUSE:

bash
sudo zypper install drawio-29.0.3.x86_64.rpm

🔍 Which should you choose?

Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Debian → DEB
Any distro / portable use → AppImage
Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE → RPM

If you tell me your exact distro (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04, Mint 21, Lubuntu, etc.), I’ll give you the exact filename and best command.

...

(base) jain@jain-ThinkPad-T440s:~/Downloads$ chmod +x drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage 
(base) jain@jain-ThinkPad-T440s:~/Downloads$ ./drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage 
dlopen(): error loading libfuse.so.2

AppImages require FUSE to run. 
You might still be able to extract the contents of this AppImage 
if you run it with the --appimage-extract option. 
See https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE 
for more information

This is a very common AppImage issue 👍
Your system is missing FUSE v2 (libfuse.so.2), which AppImages require.

Let’s fix it cleanly.

✅ Fix 1 (Recommended): Install FUSE (libfuse2)

On Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Lubuntu:

bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libfuse2

Then run again:

bash
./drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage

This should start draw.io immediately.

🔎 Why this happens

AppImages use FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to mount themselves.
Newer distros ship fuse3, but AppImages still expect fuse2.
Hence the missing libfuse.so.2.

🛠 Fix 2 (If you cannot install FUSE): Extract AppImage

If you’re on a restricted system:

bash
./drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage --appimage-extract

Then run it manually:

bash
cd squashfs-root
./drawio

⚠️ This works but no desktop integration.

🔁 Alternative (Most Stable): Install DEB instead

If you’re on Ubuntu/Mint/Lubuntu, the DEB version is simpler:

bash
sudo apt install ./drawio-amd64-29.0.3.deb

✅ Quick Recommendation

Situation	Best Choice
Ubuntu / Mint / Lubuntu	DEB package
Portable / no install	AppImage + libfuse2
Locked-down system	AppImage extract

If you want, I can:

Create a desktop launcher for the AppImage
Help you switch to the DEB version
Check if your system already has fuse3 vs fuse2

Just tell me 👍

... ... ...

(base) jain@jain-ThinkPad-T440s:~/Downloads$ ./drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage 
[6616:1227/063742.336623:FATAL:sandbox/linux/suid/client/setuid_sandbox_host.cc:166] The SUID sandbox helper binary was found, but is not configured correctly. Rather than run without sandboxing I'm aborting now. You need to make sure that /tmp/.mount_drawiodOPId7/chrome-sandbox is owned by root and has mode 4755.
Trace/breakpoint trap (core dumped)

This is another very common Electron + AppImage issue 👍
Nothing is “broken” — it’s a sandbox permission problem.

The error means:

Electron found the chrome-sandbox helper inside the AppImage, but it cannot be setuid root, which is required for sandboxing.

Because AppImages run from /tmp/.mount_*, Linux does not allow setuid binaries there.

✅ Fastest & Safest Fix (Recommended)

Run draw.io without the sandbox.

👉 Just run:

bash
./drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage --no-sandbox

This is safe for desktop apps like draw.io and is the official workaround.

🔁 Make it permanent (so you don’t type it every time)

Create a small wrapper:

bash
nano ~/bin/drawio

Paste:

bash
#!/bin/bash
~/Downloads/drawio-x86_64-29.0.3.AppImage --no-sandbox

Save (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X) and make executable:

bash
chmod +x ~/bin/drawio

Now you can just run:

bash
drawio

🧠 Why this happens (short explanation)

draw.io is an Electron app (Chromium-based)
Chromium wants a setuid sandbox
AppImages mount under /tmp/.mount_*
Linux disallows setuid binaries there
Result → crash unless sandbox is disabled

🟢 Best Long-Term Solution (If you want zero issues)

Since you’re on Ubuntu/Mint/Lubuntu, the DEB package is better than AppImage:

bash
sudo apt install ./drawio-amd64-29.0.3.deb

✔ Proper sandbox
✔ Menu integration
✔ No flags needed
✔ Auto updates possible

🏁 Recommendation

Method	Stability
AppImage + `--no-sandbox`	✅ Works
AppImage without flag	❌ Crashes
DEB package	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best